Willow
by Katerinapetrova6969
Summary: Willow finds out that she is adopted. It turns out that she is a witch and her real parents were wizards. Willow goes to Hogwarts in hopes of learning both magic and the identities of her real parents. Can a blonde boy show her the way or will it end in chaos like most things in her life? Draco/OC
1. Snakes

This is my first Harry Potter fan fic. This first chapter is really an introduction. If you find it slow i apologize. Chapter two will jump into the Harry potter world a lot more! Enjoy:)

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This was the best part of my day! The part that I looked forward to all day! It was time to feed the reptiles! I don't know what I liked about it so much, but it was just fun. Some people look at puppies and think oh how cute! That is how I am with snakes.

Sometimes it felt like they understood me. Most people didn't. The reptiles accepted me in an unspoken sort of way. I felt more at home here, than I did with my family.

My family. There was my mother and my father and a little sister that I adored. My mom and dad liked me well enough, but sometimes they would give me these looks like I was some sort of strange alien.

Was I different? It sure seemed like it! Sometimes things would happen. Strange things.

That didn't matter though. I walked into the back corridor of the reptile house. This was a restricted area; it was only for employee access. I was in charge of cleaning the snake exhibits and feeding the snakes. The exhibits only got cleaned every other day and today was my day off. The snakes were hungry though.

We kept dead mice in a refrigerator in the back. This was what they liked most. It was totally disgusting, but it was a job. I was only twelve, but my uncle owned the place. He knew I loved snakes ever since I was a little girl. Ever since I was six he had let me play with the more docile ones. It was the only reason he trusted me to feed them at such a young age.

The mice were disgusting. I put them in a bucket and set it on a counter. Next, I had to put on this special suit that snakes couldn't bite through. Just in case. They would never bite me though. I knew they wouldn't.

The first one up was a red tailed boa constrictor named Stretch. I had personally nicknamed all of the snakes. Most of the names made the rest of the staff laugh. His exhibit was pretty big at 9 feet tall, 6 feet wide and 3 feet back. Stretch lived with a female named Bones. I put some dead mice on the floor of the exhibit, pet each of them a little, and made my exit.

Next to Stretch and Bones was a rattlesnake named Shake. He was one of my personal favorites. The guy before me quit after being bitten by Shake and almost dying. Shake didn't give me any problems though. He even liked me.

His habitat was smaller, but not by much. Shake was asleep under a fake rock when I stepped in. He slithered over to me and wrapped around my leg. I stooped to put some mice on the ground for him when he slithered up me and draped himself around my shoulders. He looked me in the eyes and cocked his head to the side. I stroked under his chin for a few moments.

Outside the exhibit, a professor from a local college was explaining the danger of rattlesnakes to his students. He stopped and gaped at our show of affection.

Shake slithered off to look at the mice while I quietly slipped out.

The next three snakes were a pit viper named Sweets, a female cobra named Barroness (I loved G.I. Joe), and a black mamba named Scales. They all graciously accepted the food.

After the black mamba was my favorite of all. The albino Burmese python. His name was Whitey. He was asleep in a tree today. I left him some mice and he acknowledged me with a nod of his head. Whitey was sleeping soundly again as I left.

The last snake on the agenda for now was an inland taipan. These are also known as fierce snakes and are the most poisonous in the world. For obvious reasons, I called him Poison. He was the only one that didn't seem to like me.

"How are we doing today?" I said casually as I entered the exhibit. Poison reared up and stared at me with cold, black eyes. "I don't understand why you hate me so much. I'm not the one who put you in this cage. I just feed you."

Poison slithered over and looked at the dead mice I had dropped. He took one into his mouth and swallowed it whole. "Is that good? Do you like gross dead mice?" I asked.

"Yesss, I do as a matter of fact."

I blinked. Was I imagining things? Had Poison just talked?

"What did you say?" I asked dumbly.

"I sssaid I like the mice," he replied casually.

"Do you like me? It seems like you don't."

"I like you, I just don't like the fact that I'm stuck in a cage," Poison said.

I was awestruck. I was carrying on a conversation with a snake. "I'm sorry. What can I do to make you more comfortable?" I asked.

"Oh nothing. I'll just continue to wallow in my self pity and dream of freedom." Poison slithered away and put his head down.

"Maxine! What the hell are you doing?" my uncle shouted. I had left the door open while feeding Poison! He was going to kill me. "Get out here now and shut the door behind you!"

"Stay," I said to Poison before turning and leaving the exhibit.

Uncle Bobby pulled the door shut behind me. "And what is all this hissing? What do you think you can talk to it?"

"Hissing?" I asked.

"Yeah you just turned and hissed to that snake! It was like you were speaking another language! The most dangerous snake in the world, I finally get a grant to bring one here and you leave the door open. It could have run away. It could've killed someone!" he screamed.

"I I I'm sorry," I stuttered.

Uncle Bobby looked sympathetic. He never yelled at me and when he did he immediately felt bad. "Anyway kid, there is someone in my office who wants to speak to you. He says he's from some fancy school for gifted children and wants to talk to you about attending. I got some errands to run. Call me if there's any trouble okay?"

"Okay."

Who would want to talk to me about going to a 'gifted school'. I wasn't even that smart. More importantly, had I really been talking snake? That was so weird.

I got to my uncle's office and had my hand on the doorknob. Maybe this was my chance. I could go off to some special school and make new friends. The kids wouldn't know of all the weird stuff that had happened over the years. I could be normal again!

I opened the door and walked over to my uncle's chair. There was an old man sitting on the other side of the desk. He had long white hair and a long white beard to match. His hand extended to me across the desk. "Hi, I'm Albus Dumbledore."

We shook hands and began the craziest conversation of my life.


	2. Witch

The man's name was Albus Dumbledore. "So, what you're trying to tell me is that I'm a witch?" I asked skeptically.

Albus nodded. "Yes. Hasn't anything weird ever happened to you? Something that you just couldn't explain?" I thought about it. A lot of weird things _**had**_ happened to me over the years. That was why kids at school didn't like me. One time a boy made fun of my shirt and a window broke. That was the worst of these 'incidents'.

"I suppose so, but that doesn't mean that I'm a witch. What about my parents? Doesn't this sort of thing have to be genetic?" I asked.

Mr. Dumbledore gave a short laugh. There was a twinkle in his eye when he responded. "It usually is. It isn't rare though that we see young witches and wizards with only one magical parent or even none," he explained patiently.

I sat across the desk from him still. My legs were crossed indian style on the chair while my arms were on the desk. One hand lazily supported my head while the other fidgeted with Uncle Bobby's things. "So you run this witch school. And you want me to go there?"

"Yes. I am the headmaster at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. We usually have students start the year that they are to turn eleven. However, we somehow missed you last year. For the inconvenience, I wanted to come speak to you personally. I spoke to your parents earlier..." he drifted off, the twinkle in his eye disappearing.

I laughed just a little. They probably tore him apart! My parents wouldn't even let me watch Twilight or read the Percy Jackson series. Talking to them about going off to wizard school would be a nightmare. "How did they react? I bet it wasn't too good."

"They chased me out of the house and yelled curse words at me until I reached the end of the block. That is when I decided to com and find you," he said.

So my parents answer was pretty obvious. "You make it sound like I can attend your school without their approval," I noted aloud.

Mr. Dumbledore looked me straight in the eyes. "I sense that there is something great about you Maxine. If you want to learn magic, I can have it arranged. We can find a way to get you to Hogwarts, supplies won't be a problem, and if it comes to it I can find a nice wizarding family for you to stay with during the summers," he said. Albus was now sitting on the edge of his seat.

The offer was extremely tempting. I could just slip away from this life and start completely over. No one would know who I was. A clean slate. "If I accept, what would I do? You know, like getting there and buying school supplies? I have money, I've been saving."

A warm smile spread across Mr. Dumbledore's face. The twinkle in his eye shone clearly now. "I have a friend who is going to be picking another student next week. He could take you as well. They are going to go shopping for school supplies and then to the train station. There, Harry, the student, will board the train to Hogwarts. Say yes now and you can go with him."

"Yes. I want to go!" I practically screamed. My knees bent and i drew them up before wrapping my arms around my legs. I could feel the smile burning my jaw. It had been a long time since I smiled this much.  
Dumbledore stood. "Good, I shall let Hagrid know. He will be picking you up sometime next Thursday then. Will he be able to find you here?"

I stood as well. The giddy excitement rushed through me. "Yes, of course! I have school in the morning, but since that won't be mattering anymore I suppose I could skip." This led to another big grin. No more Mr. Stevens. That mean old teacher never did like me! Well now he couldn't yell at me ever again! Ha! Well at least not after next Thurday.

Albus started for the door. "One more thing. You're money will be worthless where Hagrid is taking you. Other means of money will be provided."

My money was worthless? What did wizards have their own monetary system? How odd! It didn't matter though. I was going off to a school far away where I would learn magic! I could just jump around with excitement!

After Dumbledore left, I did just that. It didn't matter what worries had held me down before, I was free! Today was Wednesday. That meant only eight short days till freedom. I needed to pack a bag!

I rushed out of Uncle Bobby's office. The zoo was overly crowded for a school day and I kept bumping into people. It didn't matter though. I didn't care about any of them. Priority one, get home and check my secret money stash, even if it was worthless. Priority two, start packing a secret bag.

That was right! My parents didn't know that I was leaving. I needed to keep this a secret. If I came home early from work, they would know that something was up. Instead of taking my usual route home, I headed to a small ice cream shop. I usually got home at five o'clock. It was four thirty. Home was only a five minute walk.

I ordered some chocolate ice cream with the money Uncle Bobby had given me for my work that day. There was a deserted table in the corner, up against the window. I sat down at it and scanned the place. It was a cute little shop done up in bright neon colors. The place was built after the zoo's popularity picked up. My whole town changed after the zoo was built. That was when I was four. After it went in, tourists started visiting the worthless little town of Waterton. A mall went in along with seveal restaurants and other random attractions. And suddenly we were a city rather than a town.

Currently only three of the other eleven tables were occupied. At one sat an old couple. They looked like they'd probably been in love forever. Literally. The other two tables housed small groups of teenagers. They looked to be sixteen or seventeen and had pushed the table nearer to each other. They were all joking and laughing. It was late August so some of them were in shorts. Maybe in a few weeks I could be like them. Surrounded by friends. Joking and laughing. Happy.

This was really happening I thought all the way home. I pulled a ponytail holder off my wrist and pulled up my long mess of black hair. It was thrown into a loose bun by the time I reached my front door. The door was unlocked like usual. Mom didn't work so she left it unlocked when she expected dad and I home.

"I'm home," I called.

"Okay, dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. Go do your homework."

Typical. Not a hey honey. Not a welcome home. Only Lilah got those. She was my ten year old little sister. I adored her more than I thought possible. So did our parents.

I knocked on her door as I walked past. The door swung open and her round face greeted me with a smile. "Max! I missed you!" she said and threw her arms around me. Lilah was the only thing I would miss.

"You doing your homework like a good girl?" I asked.

She answered with a quick nodd and a few giggles. "Okay, good girl. Finish up, mom says dinner in fifteen. I'll be in my room if you need help."

With that I headed further down the hallway to the bathroom that we shared. I looked in the mirror. My face was pretty pale, but that was normal for me. The kids at school used to call me zombie girl. They said that I always looked dead. I kind of did. My eyes weren't as big as Lilah's but they shone a brilliant blue. It was the only thing that I liked about myself. My black hair was long even when pulled up. My bangs fell diagonally across my face, covering my left eye slightly. My lips were pale pink. There wasn't a freckle in sight.

I took a few steps back from the mirror and began to imagine. What would I have to wear? Did I get one of those silly pointed hats? A cloak, dress, cape, or robe? I hadn't a clue. My slender, tall build was obvious even through my baggy clothes. I was stuck at five foot three for the time being and only ninety pounds. The school nurse was worried about my weight, but no one else really cared.

I headed to my room. The wad of cash in my left winter boot was still there. I counted it. $2,568. Not bad for a kid. I'd saved it for nearly four years now. It had taken a lot of odd jobs and hours at the zoo to earn it all. I stuffed it back into the boot. My secret bag should probably wait. I didn't need my mom finding it early and catching onto my plan.

When you think about it, I was kind of going to run away. I couldn't wait.

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Sooo I hope you all enjoyed:) Next chapter will still be in her town. Chapter four will jump into the Harry Potter world I promise!:D I actually have a story map for this one, so I do know where it is headed! Somewhat... Haha:) Leave me a review:) Also I am going to be rereading the books soon so I can try and keep this somewhat true to the books. Excuse me if there is anything way off from the books. :P Thanks for reading:)


	3. Secrets

Five more minutes and I would be free of Mr. Steven's class for the last time ever. I had told Uncle Bobby that I had a big project to work on after school. The plan was to go home and pretend to be working in my room. In reality, I would be packing my backpack full of clothes. Once I had my valuables packed, I would sneak out of the house and to the zoo. There, I would hide in one of the employees hallways.

When Hagrid picked me up tomorrow, I could go find my bag and be gone. Just like that. It was fool proof. Just five more minutes. I could survive.

"Hey, zombie girl!" someone behind me whispered. "I heard they found brains in your locker. Do you really kill people?"

"No, I don't, you idiot," I whispered over my shoulder. It was Benny. He was a typical football player. Him and his friends had been the ones to start the zombie girl thing.

Benny and his friend Nick were cracking up behind me. Mr. Stevens didn't even here them. He just continued his lecture on feudalism. I rolled my eyes. Of course he didn't hear them.

"Be careful or I'll eat yours!" I turned slightly and whispered to them. Benny and Nick looked at each other before cracking up even harder than before. "Why do you two persist with the whole zombie girl thing? It doesn't even make sense!" I took a nicer approach. Maybe I'd finally get some sympathy.

Benny looked like he actually might apologize, but Nick spoke up first. "Have you ever looked in a mirror, Max? Your face is so grotesque that zombies probably don't even want you. No one wants you! Not even your parents. If they even are your parents..." he drifted off.

He'd definately crossed a line now! I spun all the way around in my chair. "What are you talking about?"

"My pops, he says you were adopted. Mrs. and Mr. Gracelynn took you in when you were two years old. Your real pops was some kind of deranged killer. Maybe thats why you're so weird. Its probably genetic!" Nick said. With that he laughed the hardest he had all class.

Benny, however, didn't laugh. "Dude, that was too far."

How right Benny was! I gripped the table in front of Nick, my knuckles turning white. "I hate you," I breathed. The anger surged through me. Suddenly, Nick's laughing stopped. He turned ghost white, whiter than me. His hands searched his neck for something. The something that had stopped his breathing.

Benny was freaking out. "Nick, Nick are you okay?" he asked, shaking Nick. That was when Benny looked at me. "Your eyes," he breathed.

The bell rang and I stood to gather my things. Nick gasped a breath behind me. I walked out of the classroom and never looked back. What happened? I was so mad! I didn't want to hurt Nick though. He was just a bully. Just like the rest. This was probably part of being a witch. I definately needed to learn emotional control. Another outburst like that could be bad.

The day had gone pretty fast. I got home and found Lilah sitting on my bed. "Mom said you were coming home to study today," her eyes lit up at the sight of me. I picked her up and squeezed her in a tight embrace.

"Yepp, I've got a big project due soon. You gotta run along so I can study, okay honey?" Lilah's face fell a little. She probably thought that she would get to sit with me while I was studying. Lilah swayed sadly in her skirt. If I hadn't been lying about studying, I would have let her stay. Her knowing that I was packing a bag could end badly though. I loved the kid, but she tended to have a big mouth.

"Okay. I'll see you at dinner," she sighed. I watched her shuffle out of my room and then slink into the kitchen. Lilah was known for stealing cookies. Somehow, though, she never gets caught.

I started by unloading books from my backpack. Then I grabbed a few good outfits, bras, underwear, socks, and all of that good stuff. Next was a picture of Lilah and I, my worn out copy of Journey to the Center of the Earth, and high protein granola bars that I'd picked up. I have hypoglycemia so if I don't eat enough protien I get really sick. It sucks.

A few other memories and a huge wad of money later, I was ready for anything. Now to just get out the window, race to the zoo, hide my bag, and get back before dinner. I threw my bag under the bed just in case and went to the window. All week, I'd been practicing popping the screen out. I put my hands on the sides of it, but just as I began to push, there came a knock on my door.

Damn it, Lilah. Why couldn't she just leave me alone for twenty minutes. I pulled the glass part back down, locked it like normal, and called, "Come in."

My mom came in and sat on my bed. What was she doing here? She hardly ever looked at me let alone talked to me.

"Honey, why don't you come sit down?" she said sweetly. Too sweetly.

I sat beside her on the bed. There were tears beginning to form in her eyes. Her long blonde hair was a mess. "Whats up?" I asked calmly. Did she know my plan? No. This was a different kind of distress. Had something happened to dad? I don't think I could leave if anything had happened to him.

My mother fidgeted with the hem of her shirt for a moment. "Benny's mom called. She said that Benny was worried about you," she started. Benny? Benny was legitly worried about me? Mom slowly continued, "Apparently a boy named Nick had told you some things that he shouldn't have."

She began to cry again. Benny lived two doors down. We had been friends when we were younger, before he was popular. Mom liked the kid a lot. What was she getting at? What had Nick said? Then it dawned on me. "Am I adopted?" It was blunt. My mom cried harder and nodded slightly.

My jaw dropped. How could I be adopted? My mother began to ramble, "Your mother was a great woman. She was a friend of a cousin of a friend of a sister of a friend. You were in danger, so you got passed to Mark and I. I didn't want you to know, because I didn't want you to be afraid. I'm so sorry." She hugged me then.

I couldn't believe that this was happening. I was adopted. Afraid, I suddenly remembered the word she had just spoken. It stuck out in my mind like a sore thumb. "Why would I be afraid?"

"Your father," she let go of me and sat back so that she could see me. "He was a very mean and cruel man. When you were little, he-he-he tried to kill you."

I sat there for a while, jaw open. My mother asked if I was okay, but I couldn't respond. This wasn't happening. "I'll leave you alone now. If you still wanna eat, dinner will be ready in twenty minutes or so."

She was gone.

Lilah never came to check on me. I just sat there in shock. After a little while I realized I still needed to get my bag to the zoo. Priority one, stop thinking about the fact that I am adopted. Priority two, high tail it to the zoo and get back before dinner. Priority three, eat dinner with my family and act like nothing happened.

I popped the screen out. Cool evening air rushed into my room. I grabbed my bag and hopped out. Behind me, I slid the glass pane back down. Off to the zoo.

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Three chapters up:) Leave a review:) Next chapter soon:)


	4. Escape

Dinner had been pretty awkward the night before. No one really said anything. Lilah kept trying to start conversations, but she could tell no one was interested. Mom, or whoever she was, must've told dad, or whoever he was.

How could they not be my real parents. I'd been living a lie. It didn't matter. Sometime soon some guy named Hagrid would show up and take me off to another life. I wonder who the other students that he was bringing with him was. Is it a girl or a boy? I'll find out soon enough.

The snake's cages had already been cleaned. That took me no time at all. Now I just had to feed them. I had a note ready in my bag that I would leave for Uncle Benny before I left. The bag was hidden in the snake food cabinet. Uncle Benny had been told that one of my friend's dads was going to be picking me up for a sleepover and that he should send this Hagrid guy to the snake exhibit.

This morning I snuck into Lilah's room and slipped an envelope under pillow. Inside was a letter I'd written to her, a copy of the picture of the two of us, and some money. Hopefully our parents wouldn't take the money from her. Maybe she could keep her mouth shut this time. She was at school now so the envelope wouldn't be found until long after I was gone. I prayed she'd get along okay after I left.

After gathering the usual dead mice into a bucket, I headed for Stretch and Bones. "You're early," Stretch commented. Here we go again. Zombie girl was talking to snakes like some kind of freak.

"Good morning to you too. You know if you're going to talk to me you could at least greet me like the old friend that I am," I said.

Stretch cocked his head to the side and raised himself up. "You understood me and I can understand you."

"Yes, in fact I do. I just discovered this yesterday," I responded.

I put the mice down and left. Shake, Sweets, Barroness, Scales, and Whitey took me no time at all. None of them were very hungry. It was six hours before their usual feeding time. I felt bad, but it wasn't like their food would spoil. It was already dead.

Poison was last. "You feel like talking again today?" I asked as I entered the exhibit.

Poison lifted his head. "Sure, what would you like to talk about? The weather? I don't really have any comments on that one. You know, since I live in a cage," he said. He put his head back down and closed his eyes.

"Look, I'm leaving today. You won't see me ever again," I said. Then it dawned on me. I was leaving. Why couldn't I take him with me? I could at least ask Hagrid about it and if he said no then I could let Poison go somewhere he wouldn't get hurt. Somewhere far away. "You need to eat NOW."

Poison lifted his head at the way I said now. "Why," he asked cautiously.

"Cause your going with me."

His eyes widened as far as you could expect a snake's eyes to. "Are you sssserioussss?"

"Yepp. I don't know when I'm leaving, but when I come for you you need to be ready. I'm gonna throw you in my backpack. Can you promise you won't make any noise?" I asked.

"Of coursssse," he responded. Poison slithered over to the mice and started on the first one. I slipped out of the exhibit quickly and shut the door behind me. Poison would finally get the freedom he craved.

I made my way back to the food cabinets. The extra dead mice went back in the refrigerator. The bucke went in the sink. It was pretty gross looking. I pulled my sleeves up and ran some water in the sink. There was a little scrub brush that I used to clean it out. When it was clean, I put it upside down on a towel. It would dry quick enough. I dried my hands on the towel and pulled my sleeves back down.

The clock said it was nearly noon. School would let out in another three hours. What if Hagrid didn't pick me up before then? If Lilah found the letter too soon, she might come looking for me or worse tell mom. I needed to get out of here.

I began to pace. There was no reason to panic. I was fine.

There was a bathroom not far from where I stood. I made my way to it. In the mirror stood a confident version of myself. I wish I felt like I looked. My hair was pulled up into a tight ponytail. Short gray boots, black skinny jeans, and a purple All Time Low t-shirt completed my outfit. It certainly didn't make me look like a witch, but they were my favorite clothes.

Outside of the bathroom, I hesitated. Now what should I do? All the snakes were taken care of. That was pretty much all I did, other than play with some of the more interesting animals. If I got really bored, Uncle Bobby would let me swim with Angelina, the only dolphin. I needed to wait here though.

"Maxine?" a voice asked.

I turned and saw a huge man. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard. "Thats me," I said to him.

"Good," he bellowed. The giant shuffled over to me and stuck out a huge hand. "I'm Hagrid. Dumbledore sent me to pick you up," he said.

"He told me that you would be coming. Let me just grab my bag," I said.

"Okay." Hagrid stood there looking awkward as I started back to the snakes.

"You can come with me if you'd like," I said. His face lit up and he started to follow me.

"So you work here at the zoo?" Hagrid asked curiously.

"Yepp, I'm in charge of caring for our small collection of snakes," the pride in my voice was obvious.

Hagrid smiled. "Snakes, huh? I always thought they were kinda creepy myself, but who am I to talk. I have a bit of an obsession with spiders."

"I like spiders, but I prefer snakes. In fact," I stopped. Should I tell him about Poison? Maybe he could help me find a home for the poor guy. "Could you help me with something?"

"I can try. What is it?" he asked.

I looked down at my feet. "Could you help me find a new home for one of the snakes here? I can't bear to leave him. Hes always stuck in that stupid exhibit. Its not fair for him."

Hagrid smiled kindly. "Sure, theres a place where were going. It's a little pet shop. He can keep him for you. Or, if your host family will let you, why don't you just keep it as a pet?"

"I have a host family?"

"Yes. School doesn't start for several more weeks. Professor Dumbledore has arranged for you to stay with the Weasleys for now. If you want to live with someone else later that can be arranged. I know Arthur Weasley pretty well and I'll bet he'll let you keep the snake."

I smiled. Poison could probably stay with me. The food cabinet didn't have much in it. There were buckets, my bag, some rags, calming medications, and a transportation box. I hadn't seen that before. It was two feet long, a foot wide, and a foot tall. Perfect. Poison was a baby and only measured three feet long. He could curl up in the box easily.

I slung my bag over my back and grabbed the box. I walked to the very last exhibit and unlocked the door. With the door open, I walked in. Poison lifted his head. I put the box down on the floor and opened the end so that he could slither in. "Thanksss," he said.

Hagrid was leaning heavily against the door frame. "He hissed at you like you could understand him," he noted.

I decided it best not to tell him my little secret. The way he had said that made it sound abnormal. "We've both been here awhile. Sometimes it feels like we have a bond. Maybe it's like a cat purring. I don't know."

Once Poison was in the box, I shut it. I stood and Hagrid backed back out into the hallway. "Shall we be on our way now?" he asked.

"Yea, thats all I needed to do," I said. On the way past my uncle's office, I stopped and taped the note to his door. Hagrid and I headed out onto the street. The sun was stunningly bright compared to the dim lights inside. It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust.

We walked around a corner and ran into a boy about my age. "There you are Harry," Hagrid said.

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What did you guys think? Let me know:) I did make a mistake in one of the earlier chapters. I believe that Dumbledore said something about going to Diagon Alley then going to the train station. Yeah, I changed my mind:P I do that a lot. It would be easiest to take the chapter down, revise, and reupload but I'm not going to lol. My only review is on that chapter so I don't want to take it down. If I get at least three reviews on this chapter I'll fix it otherwise it'll stay:P Come on guys!:D


	5. Diagon Alley

The three of us made our way down a random street in London. Harry turned out to be a really cool kid. He was a little shorter than me, probably because he was nearly a year younger than me. His head was topped with shaggy brown hair and broken glasses sat upon his face. The poor kid looked like he'd been through hell. His clothes were even dirty looking.

"So where are we going, Hagrid?" I asked. We'd been walking for some time.

"To the Leaky Cauldron of course!" he smiled great big. "It's the most convenient way to get into Diagon Alley."

"What is Diagon Alley?" I asked. I felt bad for asking so many questions, but I didn't know the first thing about magic, witches, or anything really. This whole world was completely new to me.

Hagrid thought for a moment. "Its like a strip with lots of shops. They're all wizard shops though. Muggles can't get into Diagon Alley. Every wizard does most of their shopping here though."

Simple enough. "So whats the Leaky Cauldron then?" Harry asked. He had just as many questions as I did.

Hagrid chuckled a little. He never grew tired of answering out questions. "Well why don't you just see for yourself?" He pushed open a random door and ushered us in. Inside was much dimmer compared to the brightness outside. I had to blink several times before my eyes adjusted.

The place was dark and dingy. There were several people sitting at the bar and a few at tables elsewhere in the room. The bartender offered Hagrid his usual, but was declined, "Can't Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business."

Suddenly, every pair of eyes in the place were on Harry. A few of the people began to whisper. One even exclaimed, "Harry Potter."

I looked at him strangely. Who was this kid? People of every age and shape swarmed around him. Excited words and whispers of wonder escaped their lips. One man was stuttering, although I suspected that he always did. "Mr. H-h-harry P-p-potter."

Eventually Hagrid got them all to settle down and return to where ever they had come from. We pushed through to a door in the back. Hagrid pushed it open and motioned for us to go ahead.

The sun looked down on us again. We were back outside. "Sorry about that," Hagrid said.

"What was all that about? Are you some kind of celebrity or something?" I asked Harry.

Harry looked down at his feet. I felt bad. The kid looked pathetic. Had I stuck a chord? Hagrid's face took on a sorrowful expression. He walked up to the wall behind the pub and tapped it a few times. The bricks began to rearrange themselves. A hole formed, big enough for a person. Hagrid shoved Harry through lightly and let the hole close.

He looked down at me. "Look, Maxine. Harry has a rough past and he just learned about it last night. Its still fresh for him."

I felt awful then. How could I have been so very inconsiderate? "What happened? Why does everyone know him?"

"There was once a very dark wizard, he who must not be named, and he massacred wizards. He hated mudbloods, wizards with muggle parents. When Harry was a baby, he who must not be named killed his parents and then tried to kill him. Something happened, though. Harry survived and the dark wizard disappeared."

I gasped in horror. Poor Harry. Why did everyone suffocate him though? Shouldn't they be sympathetic rather than acting like he was some sort of celebrity.

Hagrid must have seen the confusion in my eyes. "They're grateful. They think that he, as a baby, vanquished the dark lord. Its horribly misconstrued."

I guess that made some sense in some weird way. Still, though, it was weird. Hagrid tapped some bricks on the wall. The hole appeared again and we stepped through.

On the other side, was one of the most amazing sights that I had ever witnessed. There were huge, beautiful, and strange shops everywhere that I looked. People passed by in robes with tall hats and other strange accesories. There was a shop for broomsticks, one for wands, another for robes, and even one for books. There were stores for potions, pets, quills, trinkets, gadgets, and much much more. My eyes couldn't even take it all in. I sucked in a breath of air when I realized that I hadn't been breathing at all.

Harry had been waiting for us. All that time that we had been on the other side, and the shock still hadn't worn off of him. It truly was a sight to see. Hagrid chuckled and patted us both lightly on the backs. He started walking and we followed closely behind, afraid of getting lost in the throng of witches and wizards.

Eventually, the three of us came to a huge building. "Welcome to Gringotts Wizarding Bank," he said with a grin. Harry smiled. Everything fascinated him. I was fascinated as well, but not to the extent that he was. His amazed eyes darted around every which way, attempting to see everything.

I looked up at the building. "Are we going in there?"

"Of course we are!" Hagrid exclaimed. "We gotta make a withdrawl from Potter's account and I gotta get something for Professor Dumbledore."

I gulped. There was a rather large lump forming in my throat. "Are there stairs?" I asked.

Hagrid looked down at me. He grinned a little and let out a low chuckle. "Whats the matter snake girl? Afraid of some stairs?" he teased.

My face must've been pale white. Harry looked from my face to the box that I still desperately clutched in my hand. He had never asked what was in it, but now he knew. Harry made a minor shuffle away from me. The sight was purely humorous in my mind. It lifted my spirits just a tad. "Look, you sit right here on these steps. We will be right back. But you have to promise me that you won't move even an inch."

"I promise!"

"Okay. We will be back soon," Hagrid said. Harry and him started up the stairs. I sat down on the hard stone. Poison moved around restlessly in the box. I opened it and looked at him.

I wanted to say something like 'Don't worry I'm going to take you somewhere safe' but I didn't dare. What if I said it in snake and someone saw? It obviously wasn't normal. People would start to talk, before I'd even made it to Hogwarts. That wouldn't do me any good.

Instead, I closed the box back up and waited patiently on the steps for the two boys return.


	6. School Supplies

Harry and Hagrid returned some time later. "You okay, Max? It took a lil' longer than expected," Hagrid said.

I stood and smiled. "Yupp! So where to now? Are we gonna buy stuff now?" I asked.

Hagrid nodded and chuckled. He handed me a small bag. "This one is yours. SInce the Weasleys are adopting you, the Ministry of Magic is paying for tuition and supplies." I looked inside of the bag. There were lots of coins in it. Some were gold, some silver, and some bronze. So this was wizard money.

The first place we went was Madam Malkins. Inside, a woman took Harry back. She asked me to wait a moment. Apparently, there were only two seamstresses and both were now being used. I stood in the front of the shop and waited. They didn't take long. Harry was back in just a few short moments.

"Come on deary, its your turn," she said with a smile. I followed her back into another room. There was a pale faced, blonde boy standing on a box. Madam Malkin had me stand on a box next to him.

"Hey, you going to Hogwarts?" he asked.

"Yes."

"This your first year?"

"Yepp. Yours?" I asked.

"Yea. What house do you think you'll be in?" he inquired.

"I'm sorry, but shouldn't we start with names before you start bombarding me with questions?" I shot him a look. It wasn't that I didn't like the kid. He was just a little bit forward.

"Oh, I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy." I must have caught him off guard. Draco stood awkwardly on his box while the other seamstress pinned his robes.

"My name is Maxine McGuire. You can call me Max though," I smiled.

Draco smirked. "I haven't heard that surname. Are you pureblood? Who were your parents?" He was right back to questioning me.

I opened my mouth, then shut it. My parents weren't my parents. "I don't know," I admitted. Draco gave me a sympathetic look. "I was brought up by muggles. I never met my real parents and my adoptive ones wouldn't talk about them."

"I'm sorry."

"Its fine."

He smirked again. "So back to houses. Which do you think you'll be in?"

"I don't really know what the houses are," I admitted.

Madam Malkin finished with me at the same time the other lady finished with Draco. We walked to the front of the shop together. While Madam Malkin rang Draco up, he explained, "There are four houses at Hogwarts. Everyone goes into one of them. They're kind of like dorms. There is Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Slytherin is the best. You'll definately want to be in there. Thats where I'm going. Gryffindor is for losers. Hufflepuff is for fat kids. Ravenclaw is for nerds."

Madam Malkin rang my stuff up. "That'll be seven sickles dear."

I stared into my bag. What was a sickle. Draco was still standing beside me. "Could you, uh, help me?" I asked. "You know, if you're not to busy being self conceited."

Draco laughed a little. "You're quite the little spit fire aren't you?" He took the little bag and handed seven of the silver pieces to Madam Malkins. "Bronze is knuts, silver is sickles, and gold are galleons," he explained.

"Okay. Bronze knuts, silver sickles, and gold galleons. I think I got it." We headed onto the street, bags in hands. "So, I guess I'll be in Slytherin," I said with a giggle. "I might end up in Ravenclaw though." My face fell. I wasn't sure why. I kind of liked this boy. If we were in the same house, I could get to know him better.

"You can be smart and still go into Slytherin. It depends on your heart or something stupid like that." Hagrid and Harry waved at me to join them. They were eating ice cream.

"I better go," I said to Draco.

He looked over to Hagrid and Harry. "Oh, you're with that oaf."

Oaf? Why didn't Draco like Hagrid? Hagrid was a nice enough person, or giant. "Yea, so I'll see you around?"

"Definately," he winked. I walked over to Hagrid and Harry. There was a third ice cream on the table for me. I ate it graciously.

"You met Draco, I see," commented Hagrid.

"Yea, hes pretty full of himself."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, he was kind of rude when I talked to him."

"He doesn't shut up, does he?" I asked.

"Unfortunately not. He comes from a long line of self conceited uppities," Hagrid said.

Maybe it wasn't Draco's fault then. I was raised by muggles, so I didn't know the magic way of life. He was raised by snobs, so he didn't have many manners. It kind of made sense.

We bought quills, potion sets, cauldrons, telescopes, parchment, and other things from our list. Next, we were heading into a book shop. Inside, were thousands or even millions of books. I was in my prime suddenly. Reading was my one great love. I could've lived in there!

Harry and Hagrid were picking out books that we needed, but I was simply exploring. I was going to have some extra money left after my wand, so why not buy some books? I picked out a few interesting ones, along with the required materials, and went to check out. Harry got in line behind me.

When we finished, we found Hagrid talking to a lady at the back of the shop. She was of medium height, a bit plump, and had RED hair. "This is Harry and Max," Hagrid introduced us.

The lady shook both of our hands. "Hi, I'm Molly Weasley. You'll be staying with me for the rest of the summer," she said with a smile. A man joined us with hair as bright as hers. "Arthur, I'm Molly's husband." I shook his hand.

"Do you have children?" I asked. I hoped they did. It would be weird living with them if they didn't. I missed my sister.

Hagrid smiled amusedly. Arthur looked down with a grin and chuckled lightly. "Um, yeah. Actually we have seven."

"Seven?!" I blurted. "I'll never be bored again!" All those times, when Lilah was too young to play with, that I had been bored. It would never happen again.

"Two are off on their own though, so five," Molly said.

"Still five! Are any of them my age?"

"Yes. Ron is a first year as well. Fred and George are third years. Percy is quite a bit older than you, but Ginny is only a year younger."

I smiled. "Okay."

Hagrid asked, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes," I responded brightly.

After Hagrid and Harry left, Arthur and Molly introduced me to all of their kids. "So, what all do you have left to buy?"

"I need a wand," I told them.

"I'll take her, while you go get robes," Arthur offered.

"That would be great! Thanks sweetie," Molly said. She kissed Arthur on the cheek and led everyone off the other way.

Arthur and I headed up the street. I had Poison's box still in my hand. Arthur had offered to carry my three bags though. "So whats in the box?" he asked.

"I, um..."

He laughed. "One time, when I was a boy, I brought some frogs home. I kept them for a whole week before my mom noticed."

Did he know? Why else would he have said that? "But..."

"Hagrid told me about the snake. I talked to Molly, and as long as it stays in some sort of a cage, you can keep him."

"Really?" I asked. My face lit up with a smile. I could keep Poison.

We got a wand at Ollivander's and headed to a pet shop. There, we got Poison a nice glass cage, some food, decorations, and other stuff. We met up with Molly, Ginny, Ron, Percy, Fred, and George. Then, I went home with my new family.


	7. My New Family

The Weasley's home was strange and beautiful. It was tall, leaning, and comprised of extension after extension. It didn't look like they had really expected to have so many children. Seven children was a lot! I was glad, though. I'd never spent time with wizards before, never even known they existed. This was my chance to get to know how things worked before being shipped off to wizarding school.

Arthur and Molly were very sweet. They had expressed their concern for my new living conditions. Due to the cramped style of the house, I had been roomed with their youngest, Ginny. Our room was no more than fifteen feet by ten feet. By the time you added two beds, a dresser, and a desk there was no room left. The dresser and desk had already been there and were Ginny's. She had offered to share, such a sweet, caring person. I had declined her. I may be living with them in the summers, but I didn't need to take up the little spare room and provisions they had.

I had set Poison up in his new, glass habitat near my bed. Ginny was wary of him, but didn't really mind having him in the room. I knew better than to try to talk to him, but sometimes he would talk to me. On our first night at the Weasley's I was trying to fall asleep when he had simply hissed, "Thank you." Since, he had remarked that even though his new habitat was smaller, he was glad for the change of scenery. I swore to myself I'd let him out for a little while at some point. He deserved it. I just didn't want the Weasleys to freak out or anything.

It had been a whole week. We would be leaving for Hogwarts soon. I had formed my initial opinions on all of them. Ginny was by far my favorite. She was polite and nice. Ginny always played with me in the garden. I woke up and noticed she was already awake. She was staring at me strangely. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"You were talking in your sleep," she whispered. Her eyes were wide. Lilah used to sleep in my bed if she had nightmares. She had told me before that I talked in my sleep, but I never thought much of it.

"What was I saying?"

I'd conjured up a lot of opinions this past week. These now included the fact that when Ginny was scared, she looked exactly like a scolded puppy. "You were screaming," she whispered. "It was awful."

"Screaming? I had a nightmare, but I didn't realize..." my voice faded. Had I done this before? I tried desperately, clawing at the walls of my mind, to remember the slightest detail of the dream. There was a man and a woman. They were fighting. That was it. Who were they? "You said that I was talking though. What did I say?"

Ginny shook her head. Tears fell from her eyes. I got up and sat down next to her on her bed. Ginny may have been a few years older than my sister Lilah, but I kind of felt like she was my new sister. No one could ever replace Lilah though. Never.

I held Ginny while she cried. Eventually, she stopped. Her head was buried in my shoulder when she whispered into my ear, "You were yelling 'stop'. 'Please dad don't hurt me'. Does your dad hu-hur-hurt you?" came her stuttered question.

"Not the dad I lived with."

Ginny pulled back and kind of cocked her head to the side. Just like a puppy. "What about your real dad then?"

"I never knew him," I admitted. "My mother tells me that her and my father got me when I was almost two. They didn't officialy adopt me, though, until a little past my second birthday."

"Do you know anything about your real parents? Were they wizards?"

I sighed. "I really don't know Ginny. I wish I did."

So, that was how my morning started. Ginny was especially quiet as we dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. I could smell the bacon and pancakes before we even hit the staircase. Mornings with the Weasleys were always entertaining. Arthur, Molly, four boys, Ginny, and myself crowded around one table. "I hope you guys are hungry!" exclaimed Molly. She was the most fabulous cook! The boys were fighting over the stack of pancakes, but Ginny and I refrained. My screams had really freaked her out. The thought of it made me sick to my stomach.

"Aren't you two going to eat?" Arthur finally asked.

"You're already much to thin, the both of you," remarked Molly.

Ginny reluctantly grabbed some bacon. I just stared at the food. "I don't feel very well." Lying had been a natural and extremely useful talent for me.

Molly sighed and exchanged a worried glance with Arthur, but said nothing.

After breakfast, I helped clear the dishes. Molly set an enchanted sponge and towel to the dirty work. In the front room, Fred, George, and Ron had gotten into a wrestling match. Molly yelled at them and sent them to degnome the garden. I had experienced that on my third day here. It was fun at first. Then one of the gnomes had bitten me. They were awful creatures.

I suddenly realized that Ginny had disappeared. I checked the kitchen, our bedroom, outside, and just about everywhere I could think of. But she was no where. It was starting to freak me out. What if she was scared of me? This would end up just like at home. Everyone would start avoiding me. What if the Weasleys didn't like me here. If school weren't so close, I might have considered running away.

I always played with Ginny, so I didn't really no what to do with myself. Arthur was in the kitchen reading The Daily Prophet. I pulled out a chair next to him at the table and sat down. He folded the corner of his newspaper down to check who it was. When he noticed it was me, Arthur folded the newspaper and sat it down on the table. "Why so glum today, Maxine?"

"I don't know."

"Thats the kind of voice people use when they want to talk about something."

Molly was standing there supervising the dishwashing. She came over and sat down across from me. "You know you can tell us anything, dear." Molly was a very nice woman, the kind of mother I wish I had had growing up.

"Sometimes I have dreams about my real parents. I don't know anything about them and it bothers me."

Arthur took on a sudden look of sympathy. I didn't want him to be sympathetic towards me. I just wanted to know who my parents were. "Tell you what. You tell me everything you know about them and I'll do a little research. I work at the Ministry of Magic and have a couple friends with access to birth records. You have to do me a favor, though," he said and winked at me.

"What?" I would do anything to learn about them!

"Tell me, exactly what is the function of a rubber ducky?" Molly just shook her head and smiled. The first smile of the day finally adorned my face. Arthur remained sincere in his questioning look.

Later that day, I was outside, exploring with Ron. We were just walking around in the fields around their house. "What is Hogwarts like? I mean, what have you heard from your brothers?" I asked.

Ron thought for a second. "Well, Fred and George say that its loads of fun there. All Percy talks about is classes. I do know though, that its like a huge castle! It's full of magic. What could be better than a place where we can use our magic?"

Nothing. I was so excited to get there. I just didn't want to be that weird kid again. Some nights, I dreamed about it. Worrying was no fun, though.

"Lets do something fun!" I exclaimed jumping up and down. Ron smiled a toothy grin.

"I know! Lets go find Fred and George. Theres some old brooms somewhere around here. I think its about time you learn what quiddich is!"

"Quiddich?"

Ron took off running towards the house. I sprinted after him. We stopped at a little tool shed. He went inside and came back out with some brooms. "Stay here, I'll go find Fred and George."

I stayed like he instructed. After a few minutes, though, I got bored. I looked down at the brooms at my feet. What were we going to do with them? Visions of witches on broomsticks flashed through my head. Did they fly? I didn't want to look dumb, but... No one was around. I picked one of them up and put one leg on either side. Suddenly, the broom started to lift into the air, taking me with it.

For a moment, I just hovered there. It was kind of scary. I was afraid of heights. The wind was blowing my hair back. It felt good. I tilted my head back. The broom started to climb into the air. I looked down. I was probably twenty feet up now. This was actually kind of fun. I gripped the handle tighter and started flying in little circles. It was pretty easy.

Laughing, I flew higher. "Hey, wait for us!" I heard Fred and George beneath me. They grabbed brooms and soon joined me in the sky. Ron flew up beside me.

"Well, you got the hang of that pretty fast didn't you?"

* * *

Well guys, its softball season. That means updates will unfortunately be few and far between until June. Stay with me though! I'm gonna try really hard. I've also been working on a new story called Insanity. Feel free to check it out. Leave me a review please!


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